The present invention relates to the art of fluid control apparatus. The present invention finds particular application in conjunction with the control of gas in gas stoves and will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be appreciated, however, that the present invention might also find utility in conjunction with other gas fired apparatus, gas powered consumer products, and other application which utilize a pressure regulated fluid supply.
Because substantially all building codes require a manual shut off valve on a gas line adjacent a connection fitting for a stove or other gas appliance, gas stoves commonly have has no internal main gas shut off valve. Rather, a pressure regulator valve adjacent the rear of the stove was connected directly with the external gas supply line. The pressure regulator valve was connected with a manifold disposed more centrally within the stove which supplied gas to each of the range burners and the oven. More specifically, a manual gas control valve was interconnected between the manifold and a corresponding range burner. The range manual control valves were configured for selectively varying, including terminating, the gas flow to the range burners. Thus, the manual range burner control valves enabled the flow of gas to the range burners to be terminated to facilitate safe replacement of repair of a defective range burner.
The oven assembly commonly included an electrically operated valve controlled by a temperature control circuit for selectively supplying gas to the oven burners for maintaining the oven at a preselected temperature. To enable the oven burners, oven temperature control circuit, and electrically operated oven control valve to be replaced safely and without a gas leak, a manually operated, tapered plug rotary shut off valve was disposed between the manifold and an oven assembly.
One of the drawbacks with the prior art stove system resided in the tubing requirements. The mainfold in which the tapered plug oven shut-off valve was commonly mounted, was disposed adjacent the top front of the stove to facilitate interconnection with the range burner controls. The gas inlet for the oven burners was commonly disposed at the lower rear of the stove. Sufficient gas tubing was required to pass the oven gas from the gas line entry at the rear of the stove, through the tapered plug valve at the front of the stove, and back to the oven burner inlet at the rear of the stove.
Another drawback resided in the basic design and operation of tapered plug valves. Although the tapered plug valve was intended to be used as a two-state valve, either full open or full off, it was able to assume partially open states. This raised the potential for the tapered plug valve to be partially open and allow gas to escape during replacement and repair of the oven assembly. Conversely, this enabled the tapered plug valve to be less than fully open when the oven was functioning and reduce the gas supply below the minimum safe supply rate and pressure.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a combined pressure regulator and manual shut off valve particularly adapted for gas stoves which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.